DMX Core PoE Control

Knobs and buttons on the wall, one Ethernet cable, nothing to program.

DMX Core PoE Control is a small wall-mountable box that turns rotary encoders and push buttons into control of a DMX Core 100, or of a Symetrix or Q-SYS DSP directly. A single cable from a PoE switch carries both power and control.

With a DMX Core 100: turn a knob and a level on the Core moves - the master dimmer, a zone, a fixture channel, the audio volume. Press it, or a button, to play a cue, apply a preset, blackout or mute. What each knob drives is a dropdown on the Core, not a firmware change.

With a Symetrix or Q-SYS DSP: load the Symetrix or Q-SYS firmware, give it the DSP's address, and each knob nudges a fader by controller number or control name over the DSP's own control protocol. The push mutes; buttons recall presets or fire triggers. No DMX Core 100 needed - a proper PoE wall knob for a DSP room, with your choice of knob and panel.

Either way the Core or the DSP owns the value and the knob only sends steps, so there is nothing to drift, nothing to re-sync and nothing to lose in a power cut. The same level shows on every other control surface.

With anything else that takes OSC: a knob can step a server's own up and down addresses, or keep a level of its own and send it as a number - for mixers, media players and lighting desks. Buttons send any OSC address.

Four control ports. Each pluggable screw terminal takes one rotary encoder with a push switch, or up to three push buttons, in any mix. Use our Rotary Encoder Kit or any standard encoder or button; the wiring is passive and every input line is protected against ESD and miswiring. A separate port drives up to eight addressable RGB panel LEDs.

Configured from a text file. Plug it into a computer over USB-C and it appears as a small drive. Open config.txt, type in the name of your Core and the Control Value each knob steps, save, eject. The drive also lists every Core it can see on the network and shows the device's status in plain words. Firmware updates are a file copied onto the same drive, with automatic rollback if the new firmware does not start.

Works with every DMX Core 100. It talks OSC over the network, which the Core has built in whether it runs on the dedicated hardware or as software on Windows, macOS or Linux. Nothing else to install or enable. Switching a unit between DMX Core, Symetrix and Q-SYS is a file copied onto the drive.

Specifications

• Ethernet 10/100, PoE IEEE 802.3af (Class 0); or USB-C 5 V; about 1 W
• 4 control ports, 3.5 mm pluggable screw terminals: encoder (A, B, push) or up to 3 buttons per port
• Panel LED port: up to 8 WS2812-compatible RGB LEDs
• Targets: DMX Core 100 or any OSC server (OSC); Symetrix DSPs (Composer control protocol); Q-SYS Cores (External Control Protocol). One firmware image per target, all included
• Knobs: step a Core Control Value; step or set a level on any OSC server; nudge a Symetrix controller or a Q-SYS named control by a set percent per click
• Push and buttons: any OSC address, one-shot or momentary (Core); toggle, set, momentary, pulse, preset (Symetrix); toggle, set, momentary, trigger, snapshot (Q-SYS)
• DHCP or fixed IP; finds the Core by name (mDNS), or connects to the DSP's IP address
• USB-C configuration drive, status file, drag-and-drop firmware updates
• RGB status LED, hardware watchdog
• RP2350 microcontroller, W5500 Ethernet, isolated PoE module
• Wall-mountable enclosure with mounting ears, about 91 x 72 x 29 mm
• Indoor use, 0 to 40 °C

In the box

• DMX Core PoE Control in its enclosure
• Four control-port plugs and one LED-port plug

Knobs and buttons are not included: add the Rotary Encoder Kit, or use your own. Requires a DMX Core 100 (hardware or software), a Symetrix DSP or a Q-SYS Core, and a PoE switch or injector, or a USB-C power supply.

Documentation: https://docs.dmxcore.com/dmx-core-poe-control